Hotch tried to reach for the younger woman's arm, hating the tears he saw in her eyes when he finally got her to turn and look at him dead on. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry?" The voice of the brunette came out as a breath, the poor mother of three infuriated from the news that had been given to her earlier that day. "You think a simple apology is going to make this go away?"

Hotch's eyes watched as his wife a hand over her eyes to try and stop her tears. "Emily, ple-"

"Get off," she hissed, realizing his hand was wrapped around her upper arm. "Get your hand off of me now."

The older man tried to clam himself down, taking in a breath. "Please just listen to me."

"Get off of me!"

Hotch's eyes bugged as the younger woman yanked her arm from his grip and went stumbling backwards, her back slamming itself into the staircase banister. "Honey," he gasped, running over to his wife. "Here, let me help you."

Emily shook her head. "Don't," she cried, holding a hand out to make the father of her children back away from her. "Don't come near me, please."

"Emily, you have to let me explain."

The brown eyed woman glared at the man she married all those years ago, the tears falling from her eyes faster than they ever had. "How do you think you can explain this? Tell me," she laughed, throwing her hands in the air. "Tell me how this can be explained."

Hotch ran his hands down his face. "I was drunk, alright?"

"Drunk enough to come home after and just fall asleep upstairs, or did we have that whole conversation in the kitchen?" Emily asked, her brow arching as she watched his face fall. "I believe it was the second one, Aaron. We spoke for hours."

"So?"

Emily shook her head. "So I know you enough to know you would have been coherent just hours before."

Hotch did his best not to take his eyes away from those of his beautiful wife, knowing the more he'd look away, the more Emily would fall away from her. "We had a fight, we argued and I went out for a drink."

"And then you slept with your ex!"

The Unit Chief, his eyes growing dim as his wife's voice rose and echoed in his ears, bit back the anger welling inside of him. "I am so sorry."

Emily let out a laugh, her head shaking as her husband tried to explain himself. "You really don't get it, do you? You don't get what you've done."

"I understand, and I'm apologizing for it. Do you know how much this hurts me? I didn't mean to do this."

Emily's eyes glared hard at her husband. "Oh I'm sorry. This hurts you? Really? You don't think I'm a little upset by this, Aaron?"

"Emily, I-"

"You slept with Beth!" the mother of three cried, a fresh set of tears pouring from her eyes and staining her cheeks. "You went to your ex's apartment and you had sex! How exactly did you think this was ok to bring up today?"

Hotch sighed, running a hand through his hair. They had just gone to her mother's wake that afternoon. "I couldn't hold it in anymore," he spoke softly, shrugging as he tried to think of a better explanation.

Emily gave a humorless laugh. "Right," she chuckled, her hands on her hips. "I'm sure this was so hard for you. Tell me Aaron, was it hard for you to go and fuck her? Hard to forget about your family back here at home, wondering when you'd come walking through the door, while you were off getting drunk and sticking your penis in that slut of a-"

"Don't," the older man interrupted, holding his hand up to silence his wife. "Don't do that."

The brunette's eyes darkened on her husband. "Oh," she whispered, batting her long lashes at the Unit Chief as she took a step toward him, "I'm sorry Aaron. Did I hurt your feelings by insulting your, what? Girlfriend? Mistress?"

"Dammit Emily, it was one time!"

Emily's eyes bore into his. "One time is too many, Aaron!" Her lips quivered at the thought of the pair together, and she slowly shook her head. "Did you even think of me?" she whispered, afraid to hear the answer her husband was to give her. "Did you think of me while you were with her?"

Hotch saw the sadness in the brunette's doe eyes, and he tried to hold back his tears. "No."

Rolling her lips inward, the FBI agent let her eyes flicker to the floor. "Well," she sighed, running her hand over her mouth to stop her lips from quivering. "I think that settles it."

"Mom?"

Emily turned to see her middle child walking down the steps. "Honey, go get your overnight bag, ok? And tell your brothers to get theirs too."

Julia's hand tightened around the banister, her eyes flickering back and forth from one parent to the other.

"Please," her mother begged, and the brunette woman watched as her daughter ran back up the stairs.

"What are you doing?"

Emily shook her head, walking away from the older man and getting her purse from the table. "I have to go."

The Unit Chief felt his heart drop into his stomach. "What?"

"I have to go," his wife reinstated, grabbing her purse off the kitchen table and slinging it onto her shoulder. "Kids! Let's go!"

Hotch watched with scared eyes as his wife took her jacket from the coat rack and held it in her arms. "Emily, wait."

The younger woman ignored her husband's call as she passed him to get to the stairs, ushering her kids down to the first floor with a wave of her hand. "Come on, in the car."

"Emily just wait a minute!"

Emily shook her head at her kids and their question glances, gesturing for them to make their way out to the car before she turned around. "Don't expect to see them until this is sorted out."

Hotch frowned. "Until what is sorted out? It was a mistake! I apologized!"

"So what? This is all supposed to go away with an apology?" the mother whispered harshly, her eyes hard on the older man. "You cheated on me, Aaron. You slept with another woman. If I went and fucked another man, would you immediately forgive me if I said, 'I'm sorry'?"

The older man kept quiet.

Emily pointed her finger angrily at the older man, hearing her car start just outside the front door. "I will be at my father's. Don't call." She turned herself around and forced herself to suck back her tears, slamming the door behind her to drown out her husband calling her name.